Method for manufacturing beer taste beverage, and beer taste beverage

Abstract

To provide a method for improving foam sustainability of a beer taste beverage obtained by a manufacturing method including adding an exogenous enzyme in a fermentation process.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a beer taste beverage includes at least a fermentation process and a filtration process. The fermentation process includes adding an enzyme agent including enzyme having nucleosidase activity to a raw material liquid. The filtration process includes carrying out an activated carbon treatment by adding activated carbon to a liquid after fermentation obtained in the fermentation process. The beer taste beverage has an NIBEM value of 100 or more.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a beer - flavored beverage and a beer - flavored beverage.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to the increasing health consciousness, the demand for beer - flavored beverages with a reduced purine content has been on the rise. Regarding the method for producing beer - flavored beverages with a reduced purine content, various methods have been disclosed so far.

[0003] As a method for producing a beer - flavored beverage with a reduced purine content, for example, in Patent Document 1, a step of preparing a mixture containing a fermentation raw material and water, boiling the mixture, and then filtering to prepare a fermentation raw material liquid, and a fermentation step of inoculating yeast into the fermentation raw material liquid and fermenting are provided. The mixture contains plant - derived protein, purine nucleosidase is mixed into the fermentation liquid during the fermentation step, and the purine concentration in the fermentation liquid obtained after the fermentation step is 70% or less of the purine concentration in the fermentation raw material liquid after the boiling treatment, and the ratio of protein in the true extract of the produced fermented alcoholic beverage ([protein content (g / 100g)] / [true extract (%)]) is 0.06 or more. A method for producing a fermented alcoholic beverage is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the manufacturing method disclosed in Patent Document 1 preferably does not use malt-derived components, and even when malt is used as a raw material, it cannot be said that sufficient studies have been conducted on the manufacturing method of a beer-taste beverage capable of efficiently reducing the purine content.

[0006] The present inventors have found that in a method for manufacturing a beer-taste beverage comprising at least a charging step and a fermentation step, by adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity in the fermentation step, even when malt is used as a raw material, the purine content in the beer-taste beverage can be efficiently reduced. On the other hand, the present inventors have further found that the beer-taste beverage obtained by the manufacturing method of adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity in the fermentation step has a problem in foam retention.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for improving the foam retention of a beer-taste beverage obtained by a manufacturing method in which an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity is added in the fermentation step.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention is a method for manufacturing a beer-taste beverage comprising at least a fermentation step and a filtration step, wherein the fermentation step includes adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to a raw material liquid, and the filtration step includes adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid obtained in the fermentation step and performing activated carbon treatment, and relates to a manufacturing method in which the NIBEM value of the beer-taste beverage is 100 or more.

[0009] In addition to adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity in the fermentation step, the above manufacturing method can improve the foam retention of the obtained beer-taste beverage by adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid obtained in the fermentation step and performing activated carbon treatment. Further, the above manufacturing method can also efficiently reduce the total purine content of the beer-taste beverage even when malt is used as a raw material.

[0010] In the above manufacturing method, the addition amount of activated carbon may be 0.05% by mass or more based on the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid. The addition amount of activated carbon may also be less than 0.3% by mass based on the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid. When the addition amount of activated carbon is within this range, the effect of improving the foaming property of the resulting beer-taste beverage is more significantly exerted.

[0011] The present invention also relates to a beer-taste beverage having a total purine content other than purine bases of less than 1 mg / 100 mL and a NIBEM value of 100 or more.

[0012] The above beer-taste beverage may have a malt ratio of 50% by mass or more.

[0013] The above beer-taste beverage may have a total purine content of less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL.

[0014] The present invention includes, for example, the following. [1] A method for manufacturing a beer-taste beverage, comprising at least a fermentation step and a filtration step, wherein the fermentation step includes adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to a raw material liquid, the filtration step includes adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid obtained in the fermentation step and performing activated carbon treatment, and the NIBEM value of the beer-taste beverage is 100 or more. [2] The manufacturing method according to [1], wherein the addition amount of the activated carbon is 0.05% by mass or more based on the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid. [3] The manufacturing method according to [1] or [2], wherein the addition amount of the activated carbon is less than 0.3% by mass based on the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid. [4] A beer-taste beverage having a total purine content other than purine bases of less than 1 mg / 100 mL and a NIBEM value of 100 or more. [5] The beer-taste beverage according to [4], wherein the malt ratio is 50% by mass or more. [6] The beer-taste beverage according to [4] or [5], wherein the total purine content is less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL. [Advantages of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for improving the foaming property of a beer-taste beverage obtained by a production method in which an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity is added in a fermentation step. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a production method of a beer-taste beverage to which the method is applied, and a beer-taste beverage. [Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0017] In this specification, the "beer-taste beverage" means a beverage having a beer-like flavor. Examples of the beer-taste beverage include, but are not limited to, beer, low-malt beer, and other carbonated alcoholic beverages defined in Article 3 of the Liquor Tax Law (Law No. 6 of 1953). In addition, examples of the beer-taste beverage include beverages that do not belong to carbonated alcoholic beverages under the Liquor Tax Law and soft drinks (for example, non-alcoholic beer-taste beverages). The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment is not limited to those exemplified above.

[0018] In this specification, the "purine" means a general term for purine bases and compounds (purine compounds) capable of releasing purine bases by acid hydrolysis. Examples of purine compounds include nucleosides and nucleotides. The purine base means adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine.

[0019] In this specification, the "total purine content" is the value obtained by measuring the purine base content in a sample (such as wort, post-fermentation liquid, etc.) subjected to acid treatment. That is, the total purine content is the total content of the purine bases originally present in the sample and the purine bases released from purine compounds by acid treatment.

[0020] In this specification, the "total purine content other than purine bases" is the value obtained by subtracting the purine base content originally present in the sample from the total purine content. The purine base content originally present in the sample can be determined by measuring the purine base content in a sample not subjected to acid treatment.

[0021] The acid treatment can be carried out by adding an aqueous solution of 70% perchloric acid to the sample (for example, wort, post-fermentation liquid) to a concentration of 10 v / v%, and incubating it on a heat block set at 100 °C for 1.5 hours.

[0022] The purine base content can be determined by measuring the contents of adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine respectively using a high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and summing them up.

[0023] In this specification, the "NIBEM value" means the value measured by the method described in "8.29 Method for Measuring Foam Retention Using Foam NIBEM-T" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewing Association [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision). The NIBEM value of a beer-taste beverage is an index indicating foam retention, and the higher the NIBEM value, the better the foam retention.

[0024] The method for manufacturing a beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment includes at least a fermentation step and a filtration step. The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include a charging step.

[0025] The charging step includes saccharifying a raw material containing malt to obtain wort. The charging step may include, for example, saccharifying a raw material containing malt to obtain a saccharified liquid (wort), filtering the obtained wort, boiling the filtered wort, removing solids in the wort after boiling (for example, removing solids in a whirlpool), and cooling the wort from which solids have been removed to obtain cold wort, in this order.

[0026] The charging step may be, for example, after charging a raw material containing malt and charging water, adjusting the temperature to 50 to 76°C and maintaining the temperature. Specifically, for example, the temperature is maintained at 50 to 76°C for 1 to 200 minutes. Thereby, for example, saccharification of the raw material containing malt proceeds, soluble components elute, and a saccharified liquid containing components necessary for yeast metabolism is obtained. The obtained saccharified liquid may be used as wort as it is, or may be used as wort after filtration, boiling, removal of solids, and cooling.

[0027] The malt ratio in the raw material containing malt (the ratio of malt in the raw materials other than water and hops) may be more than 0% by mass and 100% by mass or less. The malt ratio may be 10% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, and from the viewpoint that the effects of the present invention are more remarkable, 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 65% by mass or more, 66% by mass or more, 67% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, 95% by mass or more, 99% by mass or more, or 100% by mass. Further, the malt ratio in the raw material containing malt may be less than 100% by mass, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 50% by mass or less.

[0028] The charging step may or may not include adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid. From the viewpoint that the effects according to the present invention are more remarkable, it is preferable that the charging step does not include adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid.

[0029] In this specification, the "raw material liquid" is a general term for the liquid in the manufacturing process of beer-taste beverages. For example, the raw material liquid in the charging process includes the liquid obtained by mixing the raw materials containing malt and the charging water, the saccharified liquid (wort), the wort after boiling, the wort after removing solids, and the cold wort. Also, for example, the raw material liquid in the fermentation process includes the pre-fermentation liquid (wort), the liquid during fermentation, and the post-fermentation liquid.

[0030] In this specification, the nucleosidase activity means the activity of releasing the purine base present in the purine compound. Enzymes having nucleosidase activity include not only those having nucleosidase activity as the main activity but also those having nucleosidase activity as a secondary activity. An enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity may contain one kind of the enzyme having nucleosidase activity alone or may contain a plurality of kinds.

[0031] When adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid in the charging process, it is preferable that the addition amount of the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity is small, and it is more preferable not to add it. The addition amount of the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity may be, for example, 20 U / g or less, 15 U / g or less, 10 U / g or less, 9 U / g or less, 8 U / g or less, 7 U / g or less, 6.5 U / g or less, 6 U / g or less, 5 U / g or less, 4 U / g or less, 3 U / g or less, 2 U / g or less, 1 U / g or less, 0.9 U / g or less, 0.8 U / g or less, 0.7 U / g or less, 0.6 U / g or less, 0.4 U / g or less, 0.2 U / g or less, 0.1 U / g or less, 0.05 U / g or less, 0.01 U / g or less, 0.005 U / g or less, 0.001 U / g or less, or 0 U / g, based on the mass of malt in the raw material liquid. Also, the addition amount of the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity may be, for example, more than 0 U / g, 0.0001 U / g or more, 0.0003 U / g or more, 0.0005 U / g or more, 0.007 U / g or more, 0.1 U / g or more, 0.2 U / g or more, 0.3 U / g or more, or 0.4 U / g or more, 1 U / L or more, or 5 U / L or more, based on the mass of malt in the raw material liquid.

[0032] In the charging step, when adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid, the addition amount of the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity may be, for example, 800 U / L or less, 700 U / L or less, 600 U / L or less, 500 U / L or less, 450 U / L or less, 400 U / L or less, 350 U / L or less, 300 U / L or less, 250 U / L or less, 200 U / L or less, 100 U / L or less, 50 U / L or less, 30 U / L or less, 10 U / L or less, 5 U / L or less, 1 U / L or less, or even 0 U / L, based on the total amount of the raw material liquid. Also, the addition amount of the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity may be, for example, more than 0 U / L, 0.5 U / L or more, 1 U / L or more, or 5 U / L or more, 100 U / L or more, or 200 U / L or more, based on the total amount of the raw material liquid.

[0033] In this specification, 1 unit (U) of nucleosidase activity is defined as the amount of enzyme that generates hypoxanthine from inosine as the substrate at 1 μmol / min (average value over 10 minutes) when reacted under the conditions of a temperature of 40 °C, a pH of 5.0, and a reaction time of 10 minutes.

[0034] In the charging step, when adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid, the raw material liquid to which addition is made may be any of a liquid obtained by mixing a raw material containing malt and charging water, a saccharified liquid (wort), a wort after boiling, a wort after removing solids, and a cold wort. For example, it may be a liquid obtained by mixing a raw material containing malt and charging water.

[0035] When boiling the saccharified liquid (wort), hops may be added to the saccharified liquid (wort). As the hops to be added, for example, dry hops, hop pellets, and hop extracts can be used. The hops may be processed hop products such as low hops, hexahops, tetra hops, and isomerized hop extracts.

[0036] Removal of solids in the wort after boiling can be carried out, for example, by precipitating the insoluble solids contained in the wort after boiling. Examples of the solids include heat coagulants generated by boiling, and hop dregs when hops are added during boiling. The removal of solids may be carried out in the whirlpool. Also, when removing the solids, the above-mentioned hops may be added to the wort after boiling.

[0037] Cooling of the wort from which solids have been removed cools the wort to a temperature at which fermentation by yeast is possible to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid (cold wort).

[0038] The fermentation process includes fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid (wort) to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. The fermentation process may be, for example, inoculating yeast into the wort to perform alcoholic fermentation to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. The yeast to be used may be ordinary beer yeast. The fermentation process may be, for example, fermenting the wort inoculated with yeast at 8 to 25 °C for 1 to 14 days.

[0039] The production method according to this embodiment includes adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid in the fermentation process. Thereby, the total purine content other than purine bases in the post-fermentation liquid can be reduced. Also, thereby, a beer-taste beverage with a further reduced total purine content can be obtained.

[0040] In the fermentation process, the addition amount of the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity may be, for example, 0.1 U / L or more, 0.5 U / L or more, 1 U / L or more, 1.5 U / L or more, 2 U / L or more, 3 U / L or more, 4 U / L or more, 5 U / L or more, 10 U / L or more, 20 U / L or more, 30 U / L or more, or 40 U / L or more with respect to the total amount of the raw material liquid. Also, the addition amount of the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity may be, for example, 500 U / L or less, 400 U / L or less, 300 U / L or less, 200 U / L or less, 100 U / L or less, 90 U / L or less, 80 U / L or less, 70 U / L or less, 60 U / L or less, 50 U / L or less, 40 U / L or less, 30 U / L or less, 20 U / L or less, 10 U / L or less, 9 U / L or less, 8 U / L or less, 7 U / L or less, 6 U / L or less, 5 U / L or less, or 4 U / L or less with respect to the total amount of the raw material liquid.

[0041] In the fermentation process, the raw material liquid to which the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity is added may be any of the pre-fermentation liquid (wort), the liquid during fermentation, and the post-fermentation liquid. However, from the viewpoint of making the effects of the present invention more remarkable, the pre-fermentation liquid (wort) is preferably used. When adding the enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to the pre-fermentation liquid (wort) in the fermentation process, the reaction by the enzyme having nucleosidase activity may be carried out in parallel with the fermentation by yeast or before the fermentation by yeast. However, from the viewpoint of further simplifying the manufacturing process, it is preferably carried out in parallel with the fermentation by yeast.

[0042] In the fermentation process, the reaction temperature when reacting an enzyme having nucleosidase activity is not particularly limited. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing the inactivation of the enzyme having nucleosidase activity and making the effects of the present invention more remarkable, 40°C or lower is preferable, and 30°C or lower, 20°C or lower, or 15°C or lower is more preferable. Also, from the same viewpoint, the reaction time when reacting an enzyme having nucleosidase activity in the fermentation process is preferably 5 hours or more, and more preferably 10 hours or more, 15 hours or more, 20 hours or more, or 24 hours or more.

[0043] In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, as a post-fermentation process after the fermentation process, a process of aging and cooling the post-fermentation liquid may be provided. In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, as another post-fermentation process, heating (sterilization), etc. may be performed on the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the filtration process).

[0044] The filtration process is a process of filtering the post-fermentation liquid. By the filtration process, insoluble solids, yeast, etc. can be removed from the post-fermentation liquid.

[0045] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes performing activated carbon treatment by adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid obtained in the fermentation process in the filtration process. By performing the activated carbon treatment, the foaming property of the obtained beer-taste beverage can be improved. Also, the total purine content in the obtained beer-taste beverage can be further reduced.

[0046] For the activated carbon treatment, it is sufficient to add activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid, and it may be carried out immediately after the fermentation process, or may be carried out after the process of aging and cooling the post-fermentation liquid. The filtration process may include removing the activated carbon after the activated carbon treatment.

[0047] The average pore diameter of the activated carbon used for the activated carbon treatment may be 4.5 nm or less, 3.6 nm or less, 3.0 nm or less, 2.8 nm or less, 2.4 nm or less, or 2.0 nm or less. The average pore diameter of the above-mentioned activated carbon may be 1.0 nm or more, 1.2 nm or more, 1.5 nm or more, or 1.8 nm or more. The average pore diameter of the activated carbon is preferably 1.0 nm or more and 3.6 nm or less, and more preferably 1.8 nm or more and 2.0 nm or less.

[0048] Specifically, the average pore diameter is calculated based on the following formula (1) from the specific surface area (A) and the total pore volume (V) measured by the BET method. Formula (1) Average pore diameter = 4 × [Pore volume (V)] / [Specific surface area (A)]

[0049] Examples of the raw material of the above-mentioned activated carbon (activated carbon raw material) include coconut (coconut shell), wood (wood), etc.

[0050] The pore volume of the activated carbon is preferably 1.3 mL / g or more and 2.2 mL / g or less. The pore volume of the activated carbon may be 1.5 mL / g or more, 1.6 mL / g or more, 1.7 mL / g or more, or 1.8 mL / g or more, and may also be 3.6 mL / g or less, 2.8 mL / g or less, 2.2 mL / g or less, or 1.9 mL / g or less. The pore volume of the activated carbon can be measured by the BET method.

[0051] The specific surface area of the activated carbon may be 1700 m 2 / g or less, and may also be 1600 m 2 / g or less. The specific surface area of the activated carbon may be 1000 m 2 / g or more, or 1100 m 2 / g or more. The specific surface area of the activated carbon can be measured by the BET method.

[0052] The average particle size of the activated carbon may be 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, or 40 μm or more and 70 μm or less. The average particle size can be measured in accordance with "JIS K 1474:2014 Test Methods for Activated Carbon - 7.5 Effective Diameter, Uniformity Coefficient and Average Particle Size".

[0053] The addition amount of the activated carbon may be, for example, 0.01% by mass or more and 0.5% by mass or less based on the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid. From the perspective that the foaming property of the resulting beer-taste beverage is further improved, the addition amount of the activated carbon may be 0.45% by mass or less, 0.4% by mass or less, 0.35% by mass or less, 0.3% by mass or less, less than 0.3% by mass, 0.25% by mass or less, or 0.2% by mass or less. From the same perspective, it may be 0.02% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.04% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.06% by mass or more, 0.07% by mass or more, 0.08% by mass or more, 0.09% by mass or more, or 0.1% by mass or more.

[0054] The NIBEM value of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be 100 or more. The NIBEM value of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 105 or more, 110 or more, 115 or more, 120 or more, 125 or more, 130 or more, 135 or more, or 140 or more. There is no particular limitation on the upper limit of the NIBEM value of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment, but it may be, for example, 300 or less, 250 or less, or 200 or less.

[0055] The total purine content of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 2.5 mg / 100 mL or less, 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.5 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.0 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.7 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.5 mg / 100 mL or less, or less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL. Also, the total purine content of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.01 mg / 100 mL or more, 0.05 mg / 100 mL or more, or 0.1 mg / 100 mL or more.

[0056] The total purine content other than purine bases of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, less than 1 mg / 100 mL, 0.95 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.9 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.85 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.8 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.75 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.7 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.65 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.6 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.55 mg / 100 mL or less, or 0.5 mg / 100 mL or less with respect to the total amount of the beer - flavored beverage. The total purine content other than purine bases of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0 mg / 100 mL or more, more than 0 mg / 100 mL, 0.05 mg / 100 mL or more, 0.1 mg / 100 mL or more, 0.15 mg / 100 mL, or 0.2 mg / 100 mL with respect to the total amount of the beer - flavored beverage.

[0057] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be an alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of 1 v / v% or more, or may be a non-alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v%. In this specification, alcohol means ethanol unless otherwise specified.

[0058] When the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment is an alcoholic beverage, the alcohol content is not particularly limited. For example, it may be 1 v / v% or more, 2 v / v% or more, 3 v / v% or more, 3.5 v / v% or more, 4 v / v% or more, 4.5 v / v% or more, 5 v / v% or more, 5.5 v / v% or more, 6.0 v / v% or more, or 6.5 v / v% or more. Also, the alcohol content of the alcoholic beverage may be, for example, 20 v / v% or less, 15 v / v% or less, 10 v / v% or less, 9 v / v% or less, 8 v / v% or less, 7 v / v% or less, 6.5 v / v% or less, 6 v / v% or less, 5.5 v / v% or less, 5 v / v% or less, 4.5 v / v% or less, 4 v / v% or less, 3.5 v / v% or less, or 3 v / v% or less.

[0059] When the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment is a non-alcoholic beverage, the alcohol content is not particularly limited as long as it is less than 1 v / v%, and may be 0.9 v / v% or less, 0.8 v / v% or less, 0.7 v / v% or less, 0.6 v / v% or less, 0.5 v / v% or less, 0.4 v / v% or less, 0.3 v / v% or less, 0.2 v / v% or less, 0.1 v / v% or less, or less than 0.005 v / v% (0.00 v / v%). Also, the alcohol content of the non-alcoholic beverage may be 0.1 v / v% or more, 0.2 v / v% or more, 0.3 v / v% or more, 0.4 v / v% or more, or 0.5 v / v% or more.

[0060] The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be measured, for example, by the method described in "8.3.6 Beer, Alcohol (Alcoholizer Method)" or "8.3.7 Headspace GC-FID Method" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewing Association [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision).

[0061] The bitterness value (BU) of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.0 or more and 50.0 or less. The BU of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 40.0 or less, 30.0 or less, 20.0 or less, or 15.0 or less, and may be 1.0 or more, 2.0 or more, 3.0 or more, 4.0 or more, 5.0 or more, or 10.0 or more. The bitterness value of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be measured by the method described in "8.15 Bitterness value" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewers' Association [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision). The bitterness value can be appropriately set within the above range, for example, by adjusting the types and amounts of raw materials used.

[0062] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may contain other raw materials such as bittering agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavors, salts, etc., which are usually blended in beverages, as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of bittering agents include, in addition to the above-mentioned hops, iso-α acids, caffeine, gentiana extract, peptides, theobromine, naringin, nigaaki extract, niga yomogi extract, cinchona extract, etc. Examples of coloring agents include caramel pigment, gardenia pigment, fruit juice pigment, vegetable pigment, and synthetic pigment. Examples of sweeteners include fructose glucose syrup, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen, and starch. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners include neotame, acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharin, sodium saccharin, disodium glycyrrhizinate, tichloro, zurutin, stevia, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, monellin, aspartame, and alitame. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenol. Examples of acidulants include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, DL-malic acid, citric acid, adipic acid, trisodium citrate, glucono-delta-lactone, gluconic acid, potassium gluconate, sodium gluconate, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L-tartaric acid, sodium DL-tartrate, sodium L-tartrate, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, monosodium fumarate, and sodium DL-malate. Examples of salts include sodium chloride, potassium acid phosphate, calcium acid phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate.

[0063] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be non-foaming or foaming. Here, non-foaming means that the gas pressure at 20°C is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm 2 ) and foaming means that the gas pressure at 20°C is 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm 2)This means the above. When it is foaming, the upper limit of the gas pressure may be about 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg / cm 2 ), and may also be about 0.25 MPa (2.55 kg / cm 2 ).

[0064] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. The container can be any that can be sealed, and so - called can containers or barrel containers made of metal (such as aluminum or steel) can be applied. Also, glass containers, PET bottle containers, paper containers, pouch containers, etc. can also be applied as the container. The capacity of the container is not particularly limited, and any currently in circulation can be applied. Note that, from the point that it can completely block gas, moisture, and light rays and maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long time, it is preferable to apply a metal container.

Examples

[0065] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited by the following examples.

[0066] (Test Example 1: Production and Evaluation of Beer - flavored Beverage) Using prepared water, malt, and saccharides (malt ratio 51% by mass), wort was produced according to a conventional method (preparation step). In the preparation step, an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity was added to the samples of Test Example 1 - 2 only, such that the nucleosidase activity was 7.9 U / g based on the amount of malt.

[0067] To the obtained wort, brewer's yeast was added, and a post - fermentation liquid was produced according to a conventional method (fermentation step). In the fermentation step, an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity was added to the sample of Test Example 1 - 1 only, such that the nucleosidase activity was 50.0 U / L based on the amount of wort (pre - fermentation liquid).

[0068] (Evaluation of Total Purine Content Other than Purine Bases) The purine base content in the produced post-fermentation broth was determined by measuring the contents of adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine respectively using a high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS) and summing them up. Also, after subjecting the post-fermentation broth to acid treatment, the contents of adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine were similarly measured using a high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS), and the total purine body content was determined by summing them up. The acid treatment was carried out by adding 10 v / v% of 70% perchloric acid aqueous solution to the sample (post-fermentation broth) and incubating it on a heat block set at 100 °C for 1.5 hours. The total purine body content other than purine bases was calculated from both measurement results. The results are shown in Table 1. The total purine body content other than purine bases in Table 1 is the value when the original wort extract is 8.0 mass%.

[0069] (Evaluation of NIBEM value) The NIBEM value of the produced post-fermentation broth was measured by the method described in the "8.29 Foam retention measurement method using foam NIBEM-T" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewing Federation [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision). The results are shown in Table 1. The NIBEM value of the post-fermentation broth in Table 1 was measured after diatomaceous earth filtration.

[0070]

Table 1

[0071] As shown in Table 1, by adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme with nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid (wort) in the fermentation process, the total purine body content other than purine bases in the post-fermentation broth was significantly reduced, and it was confirmed that purine body compounds other than purine bases could be efficiently decomposed into purine bases. On the other hand, by adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme with nucleosidase activity to the raw material liquid (wort) in the fermentation process, it was revealed that there was a problem that the NIBEM value of the obtained post-fermentation broth decreased and the foam retention became worse compared to the case of adding it in the charging process.

[0072] (Test Example 2: Production and Evaluation of Beer-Taste Beverage) To the post-fermentation liquid obtained in Test Example 1-1, activated carbon (manufactured by Osaka Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added in the amounts shown in Table 2, and after performing activated carbon treatment, the solution after the activated carbon treatment was filtered (filtration step) to produce the beer-taste beverages of Test Examples 2-1 and 2-2. The same treatment was also performed on the post-fermentation liquid obtained in Test Example 1-1 to produce the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 2-3. Note that the amount of activated carbon added shown in Table 2 is the amount relative to the amount of the post-fermentation liquid subjected to the filtration step.

[0073] (Evaluation of Total Purine Content Excluding Purine Bases) In the produced beer-taste beverage, in the same manner as in Test Example 1, the total purine content excluding purine bases was determined. The results are shown in Table 2. Note that the total purine content excluding purine bases in Table 2 is the value when the original wort extract is 8.0% by mass.

[0074] (Evaluation of NIBEM Value) In the produced beer-taste beverage, in the same manner as in Test Example 1, the NIBEM value was measured. The results are shown in Table 2. Note that the NIBEM value of the post-fermentation liquid in Table 2 was measured after removing the activated carbon by diatomaceous earth filtration.

[0075] [Table 2]

[0076] As shown in Table 2, the beer-taste beverages (Test Examples 2-1 and Test Example 2-2) to which an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity was added in the fermentation step and the post-fermentation liquid was subjected to activated carbon treatment had an improved NIBEM value and better foam retention.

[0077] Also, as shown in Tables 1 and 2, the removal efficiency of purine compounds other than purine bases by activated carbon was low, and the total content of purine compounds other than purine bases did not decrease significantly before and after the activated carbon treatment. On the other hand, in the post-fermentation broth of Test Example 1-1 where an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity was added in the fermentation process, purine compounds other than purine bases could be efficiently decomposed into purine bases, and the beer-taste beverages (Test Examples 2-1 and 2-2) produced by subjecting this post-fermentation broth to activated carbon treatment had a total purine content of less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL. On the other hand, the beer-taste beverage (Test Example 2-3) produced by subjecting the post-fermentation broth of Test Example 1-2 to activated carbon treatment had a total purine content of 1.5 mg / 100 mL.

Claims

1. A method for producing a beer-taste beverage, comprising at least a fermentation step and a filtration step, wherein the fermentation step includes adding an enzyme agent containing an enzyme having nucleosidase activity to a raw material liquid, the filtration step includes adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid obtained in the fermentation step and performing activated carbon treatment, and the NIBEM value of the beer-taste beverage is 100 or more.

2. The production method according to claim 1, wherein the addition amount of the activated carbon is 0.05% by mass or more based on the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid.

3. The production method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the addition amount of the activated carbon is less than 0.3% by mass based on the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid.

4. A beer-taste beverage having a total purine content other than purine bases of less than 1 mg / 100 mL and a NIBEM value of 100 or more.

5. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 4, wherein the malt ratio is 50% by mass or more.

6. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 4 or 5, having a total purine content of less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL.

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